About Ajmer

Country: India | State: Rajasthan

Ideal Trip Duration: 1-2 Days

Nearest City to Ajmer: Ajmer, Jaipur (132 Kms)

Best Time to Visit Ajmer: October to March

Peak Season: December to February

At a distance of 14 km from Pushkar, 132 km from Jaipur, 203 km from Chittorgarh, 205 km from Jodhpur, 265 km from Bikaner, 267 km from Udaipur, 390 km from Delhi and 472 km from Jaisalmer, Ajmer or Ajmere is a religious city and also the administrative headquarters of Ajmer district. It is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in India, and among the must-visit religious places as part of Rajasthan tour packages.

Ajmer is one of the top places to visit near Jaipur. The city of Ajmer gets its name from 'Ajay Meru' which means invincible hills. Nestled in the Aravalli hills, Ajmer was founded by Raja Ajaypal Chauhan in the 7th century AD. It was a stronghold of the Chauhan Rajputs till the 12th century when Prithviraj Chauhan lost Ajmer to Mohammad Ghori in 1193 CE. Later, Akbar annexed it as part of the Mughal Empire in 1556 AD. It became first a military base then a pleasant place and much later a pilgrimage destination for the Mughals. After the decline of the Mughals, the Scindias of Gwalior gained power in Ajmer.

Ajmer is home to the famous Dargah Sharif, which houses the Tomb of Garib Nawaz, also known as Moinuddin Chishti, the founder of the Chishti order of Sufism. Considered to be one of the holiest cities in India, it attracts hordes of Hindu and Muslim devotees every year as part of Ajmer tour packages. Apart from the mausoleum, this historical city is known for its magnificent forts, museums, palaces, and lakes. Ajmer is also home to the renowned Mayo College, one of the country's first schools, which was a stepping stone for the British style of education.

The Anasagar is a beautiful artificial lake located north of the city. The Bardani pavilions which surround the lake and the adjoining parks add to the beauty of the location and are popular for outings and picnics. Taragarh Fort, Akbar Palace & Museum, Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra, the Nasiyan Temple, Nareli Jain temple, and Kishangarh are other popular places to visit in Ajmer. Ajmer is also the gateway to the holy city of Pushkar, which is just 15 km away from here.

Jaipur International Airport or Sanganer Airport is the nearest airport which is about 136 km from Ajmer. The airport is served by flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Ajmer Junction Railway Station is well connected by trains with Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Bikaner, Hyderabad, Howrah, Jodhpur, Agra, Dehradun, Okha, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Jaisalmer, Mumbai, Amritsar, Haridwar, Pune, and Bhopal. Ajmer has direct bus connectivity with Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Agra, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore, and Bikaner.

Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is the popular fair celebrated with great pomp and fervor in Ajmer. It is held every year in the month of May to mark the death anniversary of the Sufi saint. On the occasion of the fair thousands of devotees belonging to different religions and different parts of the globe throng the Dargah Sharif to pay homage to the saint.

The best time to visit Ajmer is from October to March while the peak season is from December to February. Summers are too hot and monsoon & winter offer pleasant weather to enjoy the tourism in the historical city.

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Other Info
Internet Availability: Good
STD Code: 0145
Languages Spoken: Hindi, Mewari, and English
Major Festivals: Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Notes/Tips:
None

How to Reach Ajmer

By Air

Nearest Airport: Jaipur - Jaipur International Airport (136 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Ajmer Junction Railway Station (0 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Ajmer Bus Station (2 Kms)

Top 10 Places to Visit in Ajmer

Pilgrimage

#1 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 1 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, the Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, also known as Ajmer Sharif Dargah or Ajmer Sharif, is an international waqf situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill in Ajmer town of Rajasthan. It is one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in Rajasthan, and among the top Ajmer places to visit.

Ajmer Sharif is the tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The Sufi saint is known to have come from Persia and died in 1236 CE at Ajmer. He was known for his noble teachings and peace. He devoted his life to the service and welfare of the poor and downtrodden. It is most the popular and important Muslim pilgrimage site in India. Ajmer Sharif is famous for fulfilling the wishes of the devotees. People from all the communities come here and pay homage in the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer as part of Ajmer tour.

The .....

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Backwaters

#2 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 2 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, Anasagar Lake is an artificial lake situated in Ajmer, Rajasthan. It is one of the beautiful lakes in Rajasthan and also one of the top tourist places in Ajmer.

Ana Sagar Lake was built by raising a dam across the Luni or Lavanavari River. The lake was built by Arnoraja Chauhan, the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, in 1135 - 1150 AD and was named after him. The lake comprises catchments that were built with the help of local populace. Spread over 13 km, Anasagar Lake is the biggest Lake in Ajmer with a depth of maximum of 4.4 m and can store about 4.75 million cubics of water. The lake also comprises Baradari or pavilions that were built by Shah Jahan in 1637 AD.
According to legend, when the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti arrived in Ajmer, he and his followers were banned from using waters of Ana Sagar. He requested to get a cup of water that was granted. When the cup was filled, the water of the lake got dried up miraculously. .....

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Heritage

#3 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 500 m from Ajmer Dargah Sharif and 1.5 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra is an ancient mosque situated near Dargah Sharif in Ajmer town of Rajasthan. It is one of the oldest mosques in India and also the oldest surviving monument in Ajmer. The site is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Adhai Din Ka Jhopra, literally means 'shed of two and a half days', was built by Qutbuddin Aibak, the first Sultan of Delhi. The site of Adhai Din Ka Jhopra was originally a Sanskrit college commissioned by Vigraharaja IV, a king of the Shakambhari Chauhan dynasty. Based on a tablet found at the site, the original building must have been constructed sometime before 1153 CE. It was partially destroyed and converted into a mosque by Qutbuddin Aibak on the orders of Muhammad Ghori in 1192 CE. It was completed in 1199 CE and further beautified by Iltutmish of Delhi in 1213 CE.

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra is an early example of the Indo-Islamic .....

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Pilgrimage

#4 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 1 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station and 1.5 km from Ajmer Dargah Sharif, Nasiyan Temple is a Jain temple located at Prithviraj Marg in Ajmer town of Rajasthan. Popularly known as Soni Ji Ki Nasiyan, the Jain temple is one of the best Jain Temples in Rajasthan and among the famous Ajmer tourist places.

Nasiyan Temple is dedicated to Lord Rishabhdev, the first Jain Tirthankara. Built by Seth Moolchand Soni in 1865 CE, the temple belongs to the Digamber sect of Jainism. The name of the temple is Siddhkoot Chaityalaya and is also known as 'Red Temple' as it is built of red sand stone. After the Swarna Nagari was added to the temple in 1895 CE, it popularly began to be called as Sone ka Mandir emphasizing the golden structure.

The temple has been constructed in red stone brought from Karauli, following the typical South Indian style of temple architecture. The gigantic gateway, also .....

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Pilgrimage

#5 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 9 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, Nareli Jain Temple is a new Jain temple situated on NH-8 in the outskirts of Ajmer in Rajasthan. This is an important point of pilgrimage for Digambara Jains and also one of the top Ajmer attractions.

Nareli Jain Temple, also known as Sri Gyanodaya Tirth Kshetra, is a modern edifice built by Ashok Patni of RK Marbles. Acharya Sri Vidya Sagar's disciple Jain Sage, Muni Sudha Sagar blessed the construction of the temple and the building work started on 1994-95. In the year 2002 the largest ever-made statues of Ashta-dhatu are being installed at the temple complex. The temple was estimated to cost around Rupees 50 crore, but ended up costing close to Rupees 100 crore. The temple grounds of Nareli Jain Temple are based over the entire hilly region and innumerable devotees throng the temple, particularly the Jain communities, who belong to Digambara sects.

The temple is slightly angular in shape and boasts of contemporary .....

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Heritage | Museum

#6 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 2.5 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, Mayo College is a boys' residential public school in Ajmer city of Rajasthan, India. The school is one of the oldest and best public boarding schools of India and also one of the top Ajmer tourist places.

Also known as Eton of the East, Mayo College was founded in 1875 AD by Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo who was also the Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872 AD. This college was built to provide similar education to the leaders of princely states as given in the public schools of United Kingdom. The College was opened in October 1875 AD, with Sir Oliver St. John as the first Principal and one boy, Maharaja Mangal Singh of Alwar.

The main building of the college was designed by Major Mant in the Indo-Saracenic style which was popularised by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the State Engineer of Jaipur. The building was constructed in eight years between 1877 and 1885 AD. A very ornate central tower stands tall as the pride .....

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Heritage | Pilgrimage

#7 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 3.5 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, Taragarh Fort is an ancient fort located atop the Nagpahari Hill in Ajmer. It is one of the oldest forts in India and also one of the prime places of sightseeing in Ajmer.

Taragarh is considered as the first hill fort of Asia and was built by King Ajaypal Chauhan in 1100 AD on the pinnacle of 800 foot high Taragarh Hill overlooking Ajmer. It was constructed at a time when the Aravalli mountain ranges were above the snowlines. During the Mughal rule in Ajmer, the Taragarh Fort was used as an important center of military activity. After this, the fort was used as a sanatorium during the British occupation in Ajmer.

Taragarh Fort is a spectacular and outstanding example of Rajasthani architecture. The fort has six huge gates. The battlements run along the top of the hill. The walls are two miles (3 km) in circumference and the fort can only be approached by way of a very steep slope. Miran Saheb Ki Dargah is located .....

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Heritage | Museum

#8 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 1 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station and 1.5 km from Ajmer Dargah Sharif, Akbar's Palace & Museum is an ancient citadel situated in Ajmer town of Rajasthan. It is one of the popular tourist places in Ajmer.

Akbar's Palace was built in 1570 AD by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was built to serve as a home to the King during his visits and pilgrimages to Ajmer. Akbar's Palace was made almost impregnable and unattackable by the two impressive stone walls that surrounded the palace. The Palace holds an important position in the history of Ajmer as it acted as the platform for the historic meeting between Emperor Jahangir and Sir Thomas Roe of the British East India Company. During the British occupation in Ajmer, Akbar's Palace was converted into a munitions house and then renamed the Rajputana Arsenal.

Akbar's Palace in Ajmer is considered to be an architectural masterpiece. There .....

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Backwaters

#9 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 6 km from Ajmer Dargah Sharif and 7 km from Ajmer Junction Railway Station, Foy Sagar Lake is a man-made lake located at the west of Ajmer in Rajasthan.

Lake Foy Sagar was created as a Famine Relief Project in the year 1892 in Ajmer, Rajasthan. It was constructed by the English architect Mr. Foy and was named after him. Lake Foy Sagar was built for a sole purpose to remove the scarcity of water in Ajmer during drought. Lake Foy Sagar offers a beautiful view of the surrounding Aravalli range.

Since its construction in 1892, the Foy Sagar is a pictorial and important source of water, especially portable. This lake is spread over 14,000,000 Sq. feet and can hold 15 million cubic feet of water in it. This magnificent lake amazes the onlookers with its real natural beauty. Due to its unique flat shape it looks like a pancake. There is a huge park adjacent to the park. The place is a famous picnic spot for the local residents during winters.

Timing: 6 AM .....

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Heritage

#10 of 11 Places to Visit in Ajmer

At a distance of 32 km from Ajmer and 106 km from Jaipur, Kishangarh is a historical town and a municipality situated in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan. Popularly called the marble city of India, Kishangarh is one of the top places to visit as part of Ajmer holiday packages.

Kishangarh State was founded by the Jodhpur prince Kishan Singh in 1609 CE. Before the rule of Kishan Singh, Kishangarh was ruled by Maharaja Samokhan Singh who was a distant relative of Kishan Singh's family and grandfather of Naubat Khan. Kishangarh was the capital of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj, which was located in the Rajputana Agency.

Kishangarh is the birthplace of the Kishangarh School of painting, which is known for the beautiful depiction of a courtesan known as Bani Thani. This school was established by Maharaja Sawant Singh. Khoda Ganesh Ji temple, Kishangarh Fort, Phool Mahal Palace, and Gondalav Lake are some of the .....

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